Need your help from Prudential

[harmonyudon]

I have received a request from Prudential via my website. Cause I am not in Udon perhaps someone can follow up this request. Please inbox me for the email address of Joseph Walsh

Name: Joseph Walsh - Prudential
Email : (Please inbox me for his email)

I am trying to confirm the death of Ross John Laurence who reportedly died December 2, 2012 at your Udon Thani Center Hospital 33, Poh Niyom Road, Makkhaeng Sub-district, Mueang District, Udon Thani Province. He was treated by Dr. Athid Phokasri. I need to confirm the death to allow payment of his life insurance. I have been furnished a death certificate Number 1948/2555.
Your assistance in this matter would be appreciated. I have called the hospital but we cannot communicate. Thank you

[maaka]

if a Death Certificate is not enough to show one is dead, then a call to the deceased's relevant Embassy in BKK will confirm matters, as all farang deaths are reported to relevant embassies..

[jackspratt]

George, is there any reason that Prudential would email such a request to you specifically?

In the absence of same, I would be very wary of an impending scam.

[BobHelm]

I would agree with the other two replies.
It seems, to me, a highly suspicious way of a reputable insurance company dealing with a claim.
As Jack suggested at the worse I can see a 'Nigerian Scam' (originally named The Spanish Prisoner Scam') on the way.
At best, why would an Insurance Company take the word of a complete stranger when it questions the authority of an officially produced document?

If you feel that you MUST reply then what maaka suggests is a good option that will cover a genuine request as well as a fraudulent one. However, that being plainly the case, it is something that a genuine requester would have done in the first place.

If you do reply then I would make it clear that this was the LAST piece of communication that you will be involved with them in...dress that up as politely, or impolitely as you deem necessary, but mean it. If you end up in conversation with this person it will only mean grief for you in the long term!!

[banpaeng]

You do not have to call the embassy in BKK. Notify the State Department here and information will be forthcoming of what you ask. Just google and you will find plenty of contact numbers and really very friendly folks.

They will let you know if this death is real. Then you will know what to do from there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[BobHelm]

BP I doubt that he is a US citizen.
Prudential being a UK based Insurance company I suspect that the 'deceased' is probably from the UK.
However in looking at the Prudential web site I notice this...

Prudential plc is an international financial services group with significant operations in Asia, the US and the UK. We serve more than 26 million customers and have £363 billion of assets under management. We are listed on stock exchanges in London, Hong Kong, Singapore and New York.

http://www.prudential.co.uk/

It is inconceivable that a company that boasts of having significant operations in Asia would require the assistance of a random private individual in resolving a matter like this..

IT IS A SCAM...

[banpaeng]

I agree Bob. They do sell Insurance here in the US as well.

I think scam but just in case a US and he is in US then would go this way. If not then my answer is ______________!

Hi Bob, Just dropped in and will be gone for another 3 years!

[BobHelm]

George in looking at the Pru site I noticed this...

I suggest that you take no action other than forward the mail to
[email protected]

In order to make them aware...

[BobHelm]

Hi Bob, Just dropped in and will be gone for another 3 years!

Ah, don't do that B... we have missed you & your no nonsense posts!!

Hope that all is well with you..

Apologize to all for the off topic post...

[ting_tong]

fake hospital with fake address

[harmonyudon]

George, is there any reason that Prudential would email such a request to you specifically?

In the absence of same, I would be very wary of an impending scam.

@jack,
A form was fill in via one of my websites. As you know I still have a site active about Udon.

I have checked theIP-adress:

12.42.51.27, an IP Address managed by Prudential and located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.

Also the email adress is xxxxx.prudential . com (with spaces here)

Still possible its a scam but then how can they use the prudential . com ???

Can someone call the hospital and ask if a person bearing that name died??

[BobHelm]

fake hospital with fake address

George, note above!!

E-Mail the request to the prudential address that I posted above, do nothing else!!

[harmonyudon]

Ok Bob, Thanks. I will.

[maaka]

calling a hospital and asking if so and so died, is not offical proof of the matter. Call the US Embassy BKK, or the Office that issued the Death Certificate, or follow the suggestion stated by another member here, call the State Department.. Call the Udon Tourist Police they may know..

I would have thought a good insurance man would have known this.

Indeed, I question why a life insurance agent is asking these questions, and not a lawyer who should be handling the deceased estate. Indeed, Mr Walsh would not pay out said life insurance without a family member involved in order to pay out too, or the legal authority to do so..

there are alot of missing pieces in the story, hence my suggestion to cut to the chase, and tell Mr Walsh to contact the relevant Embassy..

[harmonyudon]

Maaka,
After you posted I did send an email to Mr Walsh and inform him according to your suggestion. Now I will email, as Bob suggested, the fraud department also, just to be on the save side and forward the content of my previous email also.

[maaka]

Good on ya Mate..best to play it safe
Mr Walsh may be real, and just struggling for advice from across the world, as I can see no motive where you are concerned..he hasnt asked for anything except confirmation of a death, but best to send him on to offical channels, and leave it at that..

[BobHelm]

The motive would be revealed in his next post maaka.

That would be when he revealed to George that poor deceased Mr. Laurence had a life insurance policy worth x million dollars but sadly has no dependents.
Would George care to help himself to a substantial proportion of the due amount??
Either...
It will only take a few thousand dollars sent to Mr. Walsh to clear/create some type of official document in order to release the funds..
Or
George needs to supply all sorts of personal information about himself & bank details in order for the funds to be released to him..
Or both...

[harmonyudon]

After checking the resp ip adress and seeing his email adress I was not worried to post here.Bob and others were

[trubrit]

The motive would be revealed in his next post maaka.

That would be when he revealed to George that poor deceased Mr. Laurence had a life insurance policy worth x million dollars but sadly has no dependents.
Would George care to help himself to a substantial proportion of the due amount??
Either...
It will only take a few thousand dollars sent to Mr. Walsh to clear/create some type of official document in order to release the funds..
Or
George needs to supply all sorts of personal information about himself & bank details in order for the funds to be released to him..
Or both...

Obviously wasting your time Bob, the bait has already been swallowed apparently. :-"

pru.jpg (10.1 KiB) Viewed 2061 times

[Joel]

I have been in contact with this man over the claim info he is asking for, also checked with Prudentail USA to see if he is on the books and it has checked out. So the mater will be sorted out with Ross's wife.
So all sorted thanks guys.

P.S was a weird way to try and get info but after talking to the guy it makes sense as he has being hitting some brick walls with the langauge barrier here.